Otters Thriving in Indiana Two Decades After Reintroduction

With otters thought to be completely gone from Indiana by 1942, the state began a reintroduction program in 1995. The program has been a great success.

“The population has grown so much, in fact, that some private pond owners have begun to complain about the number of fish caught and consumed by the newly-thriving species,” an Indianapolis Star story reports.

The state received 34 complaints last year about otters eating fish from private ponds and commercial hatcheries, according to Shawn Rossler, a Division of Fish & Wildlife biologist for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

“One pond owner may enjoy watching otters, while a different landowner may find them to be a nuisance and is upset by the loss of fish in his pond,” Rossler told the Indianapolis Star.

Rossler said the state issued 10 control permits this spring to resolve otter complaints.